New airport director led major redevelopments in past jobs

The new Indianapolis Airport Authority executive director, Mario Rodriguez last worked as executive director of the Long Beach Airport in Southern California, where he led a project to upgrade the terminal. Before that, he helped rebuilt the levee system surrounding the New Orleans International Airport in the days leading up to Hurricane Katrina.(Photo: Doug McSchooler/for The Star)Buy Photo

A few weeks after beginning his new role in Indianapolis, Rodriguez says he's just getting settled in and isn't ready to discuss any potential large-scale initiatives. And of course, Indianapolis is enjoying its own new terminal and parking garage.

Whatever the future holds in Indy, officials at the airports in which Rodriguez has worked give him high marks for leading significant developments.

Kerry Gerot, public affairs officer at Long Beach Airport, said Rodriguez led a project to update a historical terminal and to build a new concourse that has reshaped the airport and earned the facility — which sits in the shadow of larger Los Angeles-area airports — national and international recognition.

"Mario and his team built a beautiful product that we are working diligently to advertise to the world," she said.

Rodriguez, 48, has taken a long path to Indy. The son of Cuban-born immigrants, Rodriguez was born in Brooklyn and raised in South Florida. He graduated from the University of Miami.

In addition to his past three stints, he's worked as a consultant for several airports in places as diverse as Fort Lauderdale, New York, South America, Hong Kong and Kuwait.

He recently discussed his career and expectations in Indianapolis with The Star:

Question: You urged the airport in New Orleans to pay for a new levee system to protect the airport in 2005, a task generally left to the area levee board. Why?

Answer: "In New Orleans, I'm looking at the levee, and, to be quite honest, it doesn't look good. You don't have to be an engineer to figure that out. We had just put in so much money in our airfield, in excess of $300 million, and it didn't make sense to have that asset there without the levee built up. So we rebuilt the levee on our own dime. It took a long time for the levee board to understand we would do it for free. I don't think they had ever encountered that. We built it nine feet higher, finished a month ahead of schedule and three days before Hurricane Katrina hit. The water came within a foot of flowing over."

Q: What was it like during the aftermath of the hurricane?

A: "The airport served as the evacuation center for the entire city, and it became the busiest airport in the world for three days. It was the focal point for the air evacuation, helicopters were flying in and picking people up off of their roofs and dropping them off at the airport ... Over time, I'd guess our entire team spent about two months living in their offices. I spent 71 days in the Hilton. I became a Hilton diamond member in one fell swoop."

Q: In Long Beach, you led a $160 million project to restore the historic airport terminal and build a new concourse and parking garage.The BBC named it one of the 10 most beautiful airports in the world. Tell me about the project.

A: "If you look at the pictures, it looks like a resort hotel. And it should. We copied a resort hotel. It has a 17-foot-wide fire pit, a wine steward, an executive chef and high-grade concessions. One of the restaurants is farm-to-table, and we delivered it in a way that was really not that expensive."

Q: While working at Palm Beach, you led a project to extend the runway by 2,000 feet and build a new terminal. Why were those improvements needed?

A: "The actual extension was focused on one thing: being able to get European flights. There's a large Finnish population in Palm Beach. We were able to attract more flights that otherwise would not have been able to get there ... We also built a new, modern terminal. It's a very nice facility."

Q: What big plans do you have here in Indianapolis?

A: "One of the great things that attracted me here is the level of professionalism in the organization. The board and the employees at the airport are people who are very well-regarded in their industry. It will be interesting to take this organization and to move it into the future. At different points of your life, you have different focuses.

"New Orleans for example, the idea was to take an organization that was deficient and to make it better. The same thing with Long Beach. It's very simple to fix something that's broken, but it's more difficult to take something that's working very, very well and to make it better. That is a big part of the draw here."

Q: What do you think about the Indianapolis International Airport?

A: "The airport is very well-run. It's a wonderful design that's very carefully laid out. It's a wonderful gateway to the community. The FedEx hub is excellent and very functional. The airport meets the needs of business and leisure travelers, so it is positioned very well."

Q: Tell me about your family.

A: "I am married (to Monica Newhouse). My wife used to run part of the Burbank Bob Hope Airport. I have two wonderful kids, a 3-year old and a 5-year old. I'm looking forward to raising my wonderful family here in Indianapolis. I think this is a wonderful place to live. I'm very happy with the welcome everyone has given me."